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Data
"I chose to believe that I was a person, that I had the potential to become more than a collection of circuits and subprocessors." (TNG: "Rightful Heir")'' Lieutenant Commander Data was a Soong-type android, the first and only such being to ever enter Starfleet. Data was created sometime during the 2330s and killed in 2379, sacrificing his own life for the 800 men and women aboard the ''Enterprise''. Specifications Data was composed of 24.6 kilograms of tripolymer composites, 11.8 kilograms of molybdenum-cobalt alloys and 1.3 kilograms of bioplast sheeting. (TNG: "The Most Toys") Data's upper spinal support was a polyalloy designed for extreme stress. His skull was composed of cortenide and duranium. (TNG: "The Chase") Data was built with an ultimate storage capacity of eight hundred quadrillion bits (approximately 100 petabytes) and a total linear computational speed rated at sixty trillion operations per second. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man") Soong-type androids were incapable of alcohol intoxication, yet components in its processing systems are susceptible to disruption by polywater intoxication. (TNG: "The Outrageous Okona", "The Naked Now") In 2369, Dr. Julian Bashir expressed his fascination for all the trouble Dr. Soong took to make Data seem "Human." He was especially surprised on how "personable" Data was. He also questioned Data about whether his hair grew, and observed that Data was "breathing" and had a "pulse." Together, Bashir and Data investigated an alien device. The device emitted a plasma shock that overloaded Data's positronic net, activating a series of previously dormant circuits that subsequently gave Data the ability to dream. (TNG: "Birthright, Part I") Human development Data always sought to become more Human in his behavior, often with unfortunate results. His attempts at humor were not successful, nor were his attempts at romance and love. He maintained a relationship with Jenna D'Sora but it did not last long. (TNG: "In Theory") Besides humor and romance, Data also had trouble using contractions in regular speech although this was part of his programming by Dr. Soong. In an alternate timeline, Data appeared to have mastered contractions by the 2390s. (TNG: "All Good Things...") During his stay aboard the Enterprise-D, Data kept a cat as his pet, whom he named Spot. Spot was quite fickle in her relationships: besides Data she only enjoyed the company of Reginald Barclay. In 2371, Spot survived the destruction of the Enterprise. Data, newly with emotions due to his emotion chip, cried tears of joy over Spot's survival. (Star Trek Generations) He began using this emotion chip in 2371, one year after he acquired it from his brother Lore. (TNG "Brothers", "Descent, Part II") At first, he had some difficulties adjusting to the onslaught of emotions, as simple things as scanning for lifeforms on a planet caused him great pleasure. He eventually learned to control the feelings. After the initial adjustment period, he was able to turn the chip on and off, and later to remove it completely. (Star Trek: Generations; Star Trek: First Contact) Service record Creation and early life Data was the third known android designed by Dr. Noonien Soong. He was built on the planet Omicron Theta in ca. 2336, after Lore was deactivated, and over the protests of Soong's wife Juliana. In his earliest existence, Data was much like a baby, struggling with motor control and sensory input. Over time, he learned about himself and his world, and his programming was refined by Dr. Soong, who attempted to eliminate certain undesirable behaviors. Problems included a disregard for social niceties (courtesies like "please" and "thank you"), and a lack of appreciation for clothing (Data did not see any necessity since he "didn't suffer from the elements"). In regards to the latter issue, the Soongs had to write a "modesty subroutine", because the colonists objected to an anatomically accurate android being unclothed. Eventually they decided to program Data with the logs and journals of the colonists, while simultaneously wiping his memory of his early existence. Unfortunately, the Crystalline Entity attacked before Data was reactivated. Juliana had come to view Data as her beloved son, but always feared that he would fail like the early androids, or become dangerous, like Lore, and would have to be dismantled. This fear motivated her to lie to her husband when they fled, forcing him to leave Data behind, inactive. (TNG: "Inheritance") Discovery and early career Data was found and reactivated on the planet Omicron Theta by the [[USS Tripoli|USS Tripoli]] on February 2nd, 2338, after the Crystalline Entity destroyed the entire colony on the planet. (TNG: "Datalore") His connection with Starfleet resulted in his choice to enter Starfleet Academy. (TNG:"Brothers") He was permitted to enter the Academy in 2341, and spent four years there, graduating with honors in exobiology and probability mechanics in 2345. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "The Measure of a Man") One of Data's first assignments out of Starfleet Academy was aboard the [[USS Trieste|USS Trieste]]. (TNG: "Clues") He spent three years as an ensign and twelve as a lieutenant before being promoted to lieutenant commander in 2360. (TNG: "Datalore") In 2364 he was assigned to the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]] as its second officer. By 2365, Data had earned the Starfleet Command Decoration for Gallantry, Medal of Honor with clusters, Legion of Honor, and the Star Cross. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man") By early 2368, Data had encountered 1,754 non-Human races during his tenure with Starfleet. (TNG: "Darmok") Aboard the Enterprise Data served as operations manager, chief science officer and second officer on board the USS Enterprise-D from 2364 until the vessel's destruction in 2371. (Star Trek Generations) His quarters were located on deck 2, room 3653. (TNG: "A Matter of Time") He frequently participated in many of the away missions undertaken. His speed of thought and great strength made him an important asset to the ship, and the fact that he was unaffected by disease, radiation or mind control was vital on more than one occasion. First year ]] Shortly after the Farpoint mission, the Enterprise crew was infected with a polywater intoxication which caused the crew members and even Data to act irrationally, as if mentally unstable. Fortunately, Dr. Crusher found an antidote, and with Data's help the cured crew was able to retain control of the ship. (TNG: "The Naked Now") During the Enterprise's first year of active service, it passed along the former colony of Omicron Theta, and stopped to investigate the site of Data's discovery. The crew of the Enterprise encountered another android in an underground facility which named itself Lore upon assembly and activation aboard the Enterprise. Pretending to be Data, Lore attempted to take control of the ship, but was prevented in doing so by Data. Lore was transported off the ship, into space. (TNG: "Datalore") Later that year, Data took overall command of the Enterprise when a holodeck virus incapacitated the entire crew while in orbit around Angel I. Although the ship had been ordered to the Romulan Neutral Zone, Data's interpretation of the orders allowed the Enterprise to remain in orbit long enough to rescue the away team members stranded on the planet. (TNG: "Angel One") Android rights Data was a major influence in the quest to recognize the sentience of androids. In 2365, Data was ordered by Commander Bruce Maddox to submit to an untested procedure that Maddox believed would grant him a greater understanding of the technology behind Data's positronic brain. Data studied Maddox's proposal and found it to be flawed, prompting Maddox to assert his authority and order Data to submit. Data refused and resigned from Starfleet, but Maddox challenged his right to do so, claiming that Data was property, not a sentient lifeform, a position supported by Captain Phillipa Louvois of the Judge Advocate General's office. Captain Jean-Luc Picard challenged this position, stating that Data currently represented an entire race and duplicating him for the purposes of enforced labour constituted slavery. Louvois ultimately ruled that Data was not the property of Starfleet and could choose whether to acquiesce to Maddox's requests. (TNG "The Measure of a Man") Data, however, continued to communicate with Commander Maddox, assisting him in his work. (TNG "Data's Day") Many agreed with Data that he was sentient, so much so that as of 2372, Data was considered the only sentient artificial life-form in Federation society. (VOY: "Prototype"). :It is interesting to note that the actual ruling from Louvois was very narrow. It was only that Data was not the property of Starfleet under Starfleet rules and regulations. The legal question thus remained open whether Data was "sentient" under Federation law - which is not coextensive with Starfleet regulations. Any legal determinations as to that question have not been presented in the episodes or movies. However, in many ways this plot was carried over with The Doctor's fight for equality. Further service ]] In late-2366, Data was captured by one Kivas Fajo who added him to his collection of rare items, which, now besides Data, included a Lapling, a Roger Maris Baseball card, and a Varon-T disruptor. Fortunately, Data, with the assistance of Fajo's spouse Varria, was able to escape the Jovis upon which Fajo was arrested. (TNG: "The Most Toys") When later that year, Captain Picard was captured and assimilated as Locutus by the Borg, Data was instrumental in not only rescuing Picard from the Borg, but also in finding a way to destroy the Earth-approaching Borg cube. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II") One year later, in early-2367, Data, under the control of Dr. Soong, took control of the Enterprise and commandeered it to the planet of Terlina III. Unfortunately, the same program had activated in Lore's brain, and brought him to Soong's lab as well. Soong explained he had brought Data because he had created an emotion chip for him, and that he had thought Lore to be dead. Lore incapacitated Data, and Soong mistakenly implanted the chip in him instead. After finding out, Lore attacked Soong and escaped. Soong died shortly afterwards. (TNG: "Brothers") Data once more took command of the ship later that year when, with the Enterprise trapped in a Tyken's Rift, the crew began to suffer from lack of REM sleep, causing loss of concentration and hallucinations. The brainwaves of the crew were being affected by a ship trapped on the other side of the rift, whose crew was attempting to communicate with the Enterprise. Along with Counselor Troi, he freed the ship by releasing hydrogen which when combined with a substance carried by the other ship released enough energy to collapse the rift. (TNG: "Night Terrors") During the blockade of the Klingon-Romulan border during the Klingon Civil War in 2368, Data was placed in command of the [[USS Sutherland|USS Sutherland]]. Despite the first officer being hostile to his android nature, the Sutherland managed to detect the cloaked Romulan ships attempting to supply the forces of Duras. Data himself recommended he be disciplined for disobeying an order to fall back, but was instead praised by Captain Picard. (TNG: "Redemption, Part II") Later that year, alien entities took over the minds of Data, Deanna Troi and Miles O'Brien. The three insisted the Enterprise conducted a systematic survey of the polar region of a moon - a notion Captain Picard, Commander Riker and the rest of the crew considered absurd. When Riker questioned their reasons, the three staged a violent revolt and took command of the ship. It was later found out the three were controlled by the spirits of deceased criminals from Ux-Mal, and eventually the spirits left the Enterprise for their banishment on the moon. (TNG: "Power Play") In early-2369, the Enterprise crew was summoned to San Francisco to evaluate a discovery of extra-terrestrial life on Earth that dated back to the late-19th century. They were shocked to find out Data's head, old, dusty and dead, had been found among the ruins of some 19th century artifacts. When La Forge concluded that the only species capable of time travel and of assuming Human form existed solely on the planet Devidia II, the Enterprise set course for the planetoid. , after he had seen her picture in a local newspaper]] Arriving at Devidia II, Troi sensed lifeforms, but none was physically present. Since Data was the only hope for manipulating the distortion in timing, he beamed down and soon disappeared, reappearing in the San Francisco of the late-1800s. He quickly adapted to his surroundings and set out to build a communication device to get back in touch with the Enterprise. Shortly thereafter, he incidentally met Guinan, who was hiding out from her father on Earth at the time. Hoping to save Data's life, the senior staff transported to 19th century San Francisco to find him. In a local morgue, Riker and Crusher realized the aliens from Devidia II, disguised as Humans, were slowly killing off the population by stealing their neural energy and sending it to the 24th century to feed their own people. They were soon able to find and stop the Devidia II aliens. (TNG: "Time's Arrow, Part I" and "Part II") Later that year, Geordi and Data proposed to connect Data to the ship's systems so he might act as an emergency backup system in case of a ship-wide systems failure. Due to the experiment, however, Lt. Worf, his son Alexander, and Counselor Troi were trapped in an Old West holodeck program where every other character looked like Data. (TNG: "A Fistful of Datas") uniform when Jellico made him XO]] Captain Edward Jellico briefly took command of the Enterprise while Captain Picard participated in a covert mission in Cardassian space. Jellico came into conflict with Commander Riker and eventually relieved Riker of duty. Data took the position of first officer until Captain Picard's return. (TNG: "Chain of Command, Part II") In early-2370, Data was among the away team that beamed down to the Ohniaka III outpost to whose distress call the Enterprise had responded. On the surface, Data experienced his first emotion while fighting off a Borg drone, violently beating the drone against the wall. With the captured drone Crosis, Data took a shuttlecraft and left the Enterprise. Picard and an away team tracked Data down and were shocked to find him under the influence of his brother Lore. With the help of the drone Hugh, who had spent time aboard the Enterprise earlier that year, Picard and his team were able to reactivate Data's ethical program, and Data subsequently shot Lore. (TNG: "Descent, Part I" and Part II") With Captain Picard presumed dead and Commander Riker missing in action later that year, Data assumed command of the Enterprise once more in an effort to find those responsible for Picard's apparent death and Riker's capture. Although he was lower in rank, Lieutenant Worf was appointed as acting first officer instead of Lieutenant Commander La Forge but he and Data came into a confrontation when Worf questioned his orders openly in front of the crew on several occasions. (TNG: "Gambit, Part I" and "Part II") Later that year, after investigating a crashed probe, Data lost his memory and sought refuge with primitive villagers nearby. The radioactive material he was transporting, however, was a danger to them, and without his memory Data could not save them from it. Data would later be retrieved by Commander Riker and Dr. Crusher and his memory was restored aboard the Enterprise. (TNG: "Thine Own Self") Shortly after the incident, Geordi found behaviour nodes in Data's positronic net and he thought that an alien "archive" was using Data to create different people and that this transformation was still going on. Counselor Troi added that Data had the android equivalent of multiple personalities and that there was no telling how many would emerge. Picard later confronted Data, through whom the D'Arsay Sun God of Masaka now spoke, wearing the mask of Korgano. Masaka thought she was alone and did not have to share the sky with anyone when Korgano told her that without him she was not complete. Korgano soon convinced Masaka was getting tired to brighten the sky forever. Masaka replied Korgano should begin the hunt again, and at that moment Masaka fell asleep. When Picard asked Data whether he was alright, Data answered he was not entirely certain what happened and wondered if he had been dreaming again. (TNG: "Masks") First Contact Data transferred to the new [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)|USS Enterprise-E]] in 2372, along with most of the senior staff of the Enterprise-D. In 2373, the Enterprise took part in the Battle of Sector 001 against Starfleet orders. Thanks to the ship's intervention, the Borg cube was destroyed, but not before it launched a sphere which generated a temporal vortex and traveled to the year 2063. The Enterprise pursued, and destroyed the sphere before it was able to prevent the first flight of Zefram Cochrane aboard the Phoenix warp ship. Along with Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher, Data beamed down to the surface, to inspect any damage to the Phoenix. Upon suspecting Borg presence aboard the Enterprise, however, Picard and Data transported back to the ship. While fighting off the Borg near Main Engineering, Data was captured and brought before the Borg Queen. Instead of attempting to assimilate Data, she had him made more Human by attaching Human skin onto his android skeleton. When it appeared impossible to hold off the Borg any longer, Picard was convinced to initiate the self-destruct of the Enterprise and ordered all remaining crew to evacuate. He himself went on to Engineering to find Data and to convince the Queen, whom he had encountered several years previously when he was Locutus, to release Data. Picard was even prepared to take Data's place at the Queen's side and become her equal. Data, however, claimed he did not wish to go, even after the Queen ordered him away. Thus, the Queen ordered Picard's assimilation, but not before witnessing the destruction of the Phoenix by Data. The quantum torpedoes fired by Data missed by the smallest of margins, and quickly thereafter he ruptured a plasma coolant tank, releasing plasma coolant which would dissolve organic material on contact. The Queen (or at least one version of her) was killed, but Picard managed to survive. Helping Data standing up, Picard asked him if he was ever tempted to join the Borg's cause. Data replied that, for a fraction of a second, hinting at his kiss with the Queen, he was. He adds that, for an android, that is almost like an eternity. (Star Trek: First Contact) Insurrection In 2375, Data, along with the Enterprise crew, defied Federation orders and rebelled against the plan to relocate the Ba'ku from their homeworld in order to harvest the metaphasic radiation from their planet's ring system. The senior staff, save for Riker and Geordi, defended the Ba'ku on the surface from violent Son'a and Starfleet attempts to relocate them, but eventually most were transported aboard Son'a vessels. Fortunately, the Enterprise had managed to get word to the Federation Council in time for it to intervene, and so the relocation plan was abandoned. (Star Trek: Insurrection) Battle with Shinzon developed by La Forge to transport Captain Picard off the Scimitar]] By 2379, Data was expected to replace Commander Riker as first officer following Riker's promotion to Captain of the [[USS Titan|USS Titan]]. But before Data could take the role, the Enterprise was ordered to Romulus where a new praetor had come to power. Shinzon's good intentions, however, were soon uncovered to be false. In reality, he was discovered to be a clone of Captain Picard and, due to genetic degenerations, he was in need of the captain's DNA in order to restore his own. After Shinzon's vessel, the Scimitar, had almost destroyed the Enterprise, Picard was able to eliminate Shinzon aboard his own vessel. Data boarded the Scimitar just in time to prevent activation of its thalaron radiation weapon and the death of Picard. Firing at the weapon with a phaser, he sacrificed his own life to save the Enterprise from destruction. However, prior to his destruction, Data's memory banks had been transferred to the android B-4, and although the memory transfer did not appear to take, Picard's interactions with B-4 after Data's death hint at the possibility of a Spock-like rebirth (see below). (Star Trek Nemesis) Personal interests Data was very fond of art and tried several forms, including painting, acting, playing and singing. He played the violin and performed on several occasions. He also sang the classic "Blue Skies" at the wedding of William Riker and Deanna Troi. (TNG: "Tin Man"; Star Trek Nemesis) Dixon Hill "]] Dixon Hill was a hero of Captain Picard since he was a child. Fascinated by the two-fisted gumshoe, he programmed a holodeck simulation of the character. He was able to explore his fascination with Dixon Hill following the upgrade of the Enterprise's holodecks in 2364. Data twice accompanied Picard in the holographic novel. When Picard first entered the world of Dixon Hill, a holodeck malfunction led to an override of safety protocols. Picard, Dr. Crusher, historian Whalen and Data were soon caught up in a real case where the consequences could prove fatal indeed. (TNG: "The Big Goodbye") In 2365, Picard once again took the role of Dixon Hill, again accompanied by Data, in order to flee Lwaxana Troi's manhunt. Lwaxana, however, eventually located him, but became infatuated with the holographic bartender Rex. (TNG: "Manhunt") Sherlock Holmes Data was fond of the great detective and played the role of Sherlock Holmes in a holodeck program, often accompanied by La Forge in the role of Dr. Watson. In 2365, Dr. Pulaski believed that Data's methodical way of looking at situations meant that he could never solve a traditional Sherlock Holmes mystery, which led to the creation of the program which brought about the sentient Professor Moriarty. (TNG: "Elementary, Dear Data") Data accessed the program again in 2369, and during diagnostics Barclay found a problem in the program and overrode the lockouts only to have Moriarty reappear once more, asking to see Picard, but gaining control over the Enterprise. Eventually, Picard managed to encapsulate Moriarty in a small computerized cube. Barclay was then assigned to take care of the cube. (TNG: "Ship in a Bottle") Personal relationships Friendships Data maintained a good relationship with most of the Enterprise senior staff: Jean-Luc Picard Data looked up to Picard as something of a father figure throughout his service under the captain asking for his advice on numerous occasions in his quest to become more Human. Picard always gave Data advice whenever he could. A similar relationship between a captain and an artificial member of the ship's crew was developed in Star Trek: Voyager between Captain Kathryn Janeway and the Doctor, Voyager's Emergency Medical Hologram, who achieved sentience after he was forced to assume the permanent position of Voyager's doctor after the deaths of the original medical staff Following Tasha Yar's death in 2364, Data was puzzled about her death, thinking not about Yar but rather how he would feel in her absence, thinking that he missed the purpose of her memorial but Picard assured him that he understood the purpose of the memorial perfectly. (TNG: "Skin of Evil") In 2365, Data's existence was threatened when Commander Maddox wished to disassemble and study Data to gain a better understanding of how his positronic brain functioned. Data refused to submit to Maddox's procedure, finding his research flawed but Maddox claimed that Data was property of Starfleet and therefore not a sentient being and as a result had no choice other than to submit to the procedure. Captain Louvois supported Maddox's claim and Picard intervened by challenging their reasoning, saying that Data was indeed sentient and deserved the freedom to make his own decisions. He also said that Data represented an entire race and that forcing him to submit to Maddox's procedure is tantamount to slavery - strictly against Federation law. Ultimately, Louvois sided with Picard's standpoint and agreed that Data, android or not, was indeed sentient and entitled to the same rights as any other Starfleet officer. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man") In 2367, Picard's seemingly unbreakable trust in Data was tested when Data refused to fully co-operate in an investigation into a number of events that happened within a 24-hour time span although Data claimed that the time span was only thirty seconds. Data's intransigence threatened to end his Starfleet career and even his own existence but it was later revealed that Captain Picard was himself responsible for Data's unusual behavior after an encounter with the Paxans in a T-Tauri class star system. (TNG: "Clues") During the Klingon Civil War from 2367-8, the Federation made an indirect intervention with a blockade of Starfleet vessels placed in formation to use the pioneering tachyon detection grid in an effort to expose Romulan support for the House of Duras. Picard assigned all of his senior officers positions onboard other ships except for Data. Data questioned Picard about why he was not assigned command of a vessel considering that there was a severe lack of senior officers available for the mission, wondering if he felt that his being an android made him unsuitable for command. Picard, slightly embarrassed by Data's question, assigned Data command of the [[USS Sutherland|USS Sutherland]]. During the blockade Data disobeyed direct orders from Captain Picard and was able to expose the Romulan's involvement in the war. Data submitted himself for disciplinary action for disobeying a direct order from his superior officer but Picard praised Data for not following his orders as he believed that doing so was appropriate under the circumstances. (TNG: "Redemption, Part II") In 2369, Data refused to allow a group of exocomps to be sacrificed in order to save the lives of Captain Picard and Lieutenant Commander La Forge, who were trapped onboard the Particle Fountain Project space station, believing that they were sentient and therefore capable of making their own decisions. After agreeing to a compromise suggested by Commander Riker, the exocomps were released and able to save the lives of Picard and La Forge. Picard understood the predicament that Data was faced with as he had defended Data's sentience just a few years previously but this time the exocomps had no advocate and Data felt compelled to act on their behalf. Picard considered Data's actions to be the most "Human" decision that he had ever made. (TNG: "The Quality of Life") Later that year, following an accident in Main engineering that activated a dormant program in his positronic brain, Data sought advice from several officers, including Captain Picard, on his "visions". Picard was curious why Data was studying thousands of different cultures to interpret his visions. Data said that he had no culture of his own but Picard told Data that he did have a culture - a culture of one and that its validity is no less than that of a billion. Picard suggested that Data should consider what the visions meant to him instead of what they mean to other people. (TNG: "Birthright, Part I") After a malfunctioning emotion chip fused with Data's positronic net in 2371, Data felt guilty for not saving La Forge from capture by Tolian Soran onboard the Amargosa observatory. Data was overwhelmed by emotions and requested being shut down until the chip could be removed. Although Picard felt sympathy for Data, he told him that part of having emotions is integrating them into your life and learning to live with them and denied Data his request. (Star Trek Generations) In 2373 (when the Enterprise-E traveled back to the year 2063 on Earth), Picard and Data initially went down to the planet to observe the damage the Borg had done to Zefram Cochrane's missile complex in Montana. Down in the missile silo of the Phoenix, Picard, upon touching the missile that would make history by becoming the first Human starship traveling at warp, explained to Data that sometimes a touch can make objects more "real". Upon suspecting Borg presence aboard the Enterprise, Picard and Data transported back to the ship. Fighting off the Borg near Main Engineering, Data was soon captured and brought to the Borg Queen. Instead of attempting to assimilate Data, the Queen made him physically more Human by attaching Human skin onto his android skeleton. When it appeared impossible to hold off the Borg any longer, Captain Picard was convinced to initiate the Enterprise's auto-destruct sequence and ordered all remaining crew to evacuate. He himself went on to Engineering to find Data and to convince the Queen, who he had encountered several years previously, to let Data go. Picard was even prepared to take Data's place at the Queen's side, willingly, thus becoming her equal. Data, however, claimed he did not wish to go – even after the Queen ordered him away. Thus, the Queen ordered Picard's assimilation, but not before witnessing the destruction of the Phoenix by Data. Data fired a spread of quantum torpedoes but they missed by the smallest of margins, and quickly thereafter he burst a plasma coolant tank, releasing plasma coolant, which would liquefy organic material on contact-- killing the Borg. The Queen was killed, but Picard survived. While helping Data to his feet, Picard asked him if he was ever tempted to join the Borg's cause. Data, hinting at his kiss with the Queen, replied that for a fraction of a second (zero point six eight seconds), he was. He added that for an android, this brief moment was like an eternity. (Star Trek: First Contact) Following the wedding of William Riker and Deanna Troi in 2379, Data was confused by Captain Picard's mixed feelings for the couple - although the Captain was happy that Riker was due to accept promotion to the rank of Captain and take command of the [[USS Titan|USS Titan]] and that his new wife was to transfer over to the Titan and take position as the ship's Counselor, Picard was somewhat saddened by their departure and tried to explain to Data that experiencing feelings of both happiness and sadness at the same time are common in these situations. At the climax of the Battle of the Bassen Rift, Data jumped across the void of space from the Enterprise-E to the Scimitar, saving Picard by using a prototype emergency transport unit but he sacrificed his own life to save the crew of the Enterprise by firing at the thalaron radiation generator and so destroying the Scimitar. Following the battle, Captain Picard held a toast with the Enterprise-E's senior officers as a tribute to their fallen comrade. (Star Trek Nemesis) Interesting note: Picard honors Data after his death with a toast with his senior staff. "To absent friends" is the same toast Kirk gives in Spock's honor after his death. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, ''Star Trek Nemesis) William T. Riker William Riker first met Data on the Enterprise holodeck in 2364. Data was trying to whistle "Pop Goes the Weasel," but could not finish the last few notes. Riker helped him finish, later giving Data the nickname "Pinocchio", in reference to Data's wish to become Human. At first, Riker was skeptical about Data's abilities as a machine, assuming that his rank of Lieutenant Commander was merely honorary. Despite Riker's misconception, Data had earned his rank, just as every other Starfleet officer of the same rank and above had done. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") In 2365, Data's status as a sentient individual came into question. A hearing was held on Starbase 173, but the base lacked a complete legal staff. As first officer of the Enterprise, Riker was forced to act as counsel for Bruce Maddox and was given the task of convincing Judge Phillipa Louvois that as an android, Data was the property of Starfleet. Riker very nearly proved that Data was property by means of deactivating him. Picard's defense later made Louvois hold that Data was a machine, was not the property of Starfleet, and had the right to choose whether to comply with Maddox's requests to study him. Riker was distressed over the incident, and he felt terrible that he had nearly cost Data his rights. Data did not hold any ill-will towards Riker or Maddox, and was actually grateful that Riker participated, essentially because if he did not the initial ruling being appealed would have remained in Maddox's favour. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man") Data sought Riker's help and advice on several occasions. One instance was when he asked for Riker's advice on friendship and betrayal, following a mission involving Ishara Yar in 2367. (TNG: "Legacy") Data also asked for Riker's help when Keiko Ishikawa temporarily called off her wedding to Miles O'Brien in 2367. (TNG: "Data's Day") He came to Riker once more for advice when he started to date Jenna D'Sora. (TNG: "In Theory") Geordi La Forge Data's closest friend during his time aboard the Enterprise was Geordi La Forge. As of 2367, Data considered Geordi to be his best friend (TNG: "Data's Day"). Their long-term friendship dates back to 2364, when both were assigned as bridge officers aboard the vessel. La Forge's promotion to chief engineer the next year reflected his expertise with machinery, though he experienced difficulties in establishing relationships with other people, especially women. These personality traits may have accounted for La Forge's ability to so easily maintain a relationship with a sentient machine such as Data. Their friendship was tested in early 2370, during the Enterprise's encounter with the individualized Borg. Lore used the emotion chip stolen from Dr. Noonien Soong to influence Data, deactivating Data's ethical program and transmitting emotions to Data. While under Lore's influence, Data participated in a neurological experiment with La Forge as the primary subject. The experiment caused La Forge a great deal of pain and may have eventually resulted in La Forge's death. Fortunately, Captain Picard and others of the Enterprise crew were able to reactivate Data's ethical program. It was Data's friendship with La Forge that eventually allowed the android to overcome his brother's influence. (TNG: "Descent, Part II") In 2371, following an incident on the holodeck in which Data pushed Dr. Crusher off a sailboat in the water, Data decided to finally have the emotion chip Dr. Soong gave him years earlier installed in his neural net. La Forge assisted Data by installing the chip after the latter made this life-changing decision, though La Forge would later react negatively to his friend's erratic behaviour that accompanied the initial acquisition of emotions. When La Forge was later threatened by Dr. Soran aboard the Amargosa observatory, Data was afraid to intervene, but he later learned to live with his newly-acquired emotions. (Star Trek: Generations) Beverly Crusher Dr. Beverly Crusher and Data had a special relationship, with Data seeking advice from Beverly on subjects ranging from parenting (TNG: "The Offspring") to dancing. She taught Data to tap dance, not knowing that he had intended to learn how to dance for the wedding of Miles O'Brien and Keiko Ishikawa. (TNG: "Data's Day") Data also came to her for advice on whether or not to consider the exocomps alive, and she was present when Data learned they were indeed sentient. (TNG: "The Quality of Life") As the ship's chief medical officer, Dr. Crusher had some knowledge of how to repair and "heal" Data, though mostly it was Geordi La Forge who filled that function, since Data was an artificial lifeform. (TNG: "Datalore", "The Game") In 2369, Data incorporated a subroutine for small talk. At the recommendation of Captain Picard, he studied Commander Hutchinson while the Enterprise underwent a baryon sweep at Arkaria Base. Dr. Crusher was the first person Data tried to engage in small talk using his observations of Hutchinson, to her astonishment and delight. (TNG: "Starship Mine") During Worf's promotion ceremony in 2371, Dr. Crusher tried to explain to Data the humour behind Worf being dunked after walking the plank on the holodeck recreation of the sailing ship Enterprise. Data did not completely understand and then pushed Crusher into the water, as an attempt at the same type of humour. However, Dr. Crusher and the rest of the senior staff did not find it nearly as amusing. La Forge later recommended that Data stay out of sickbay for a few days following the ceremony. (Star Trek: Generations) In 2379, Dr. Crusher remarked that she thought Data had nicer eyes than his predecessor, B-4. (Star Trek: Nemesis) Worf Data enjoyed a solid, if low-key, friendship with the cantankerous Klingon. They had two important things in common: both were rescued by the Federation after their homes were destroyed by enemy attacks, and both were (initially, in Worf's case) the lone representatives of their species in Starfleet. Although most of their time together was during duty hours (such as bridge duty and away missions), both were frequent participants in the senior staff's poker games, and were occasionally seen in other off-duty situations as well. Despite outranking Worf until his promotion in 2371, Data didn't mind Worf referring to him directly by name instead of rank. When Data's shuttlecraft exploded while returning to the Enterprise-D in 2366, all Worf could do was stare in shock at the viewscreen and mutter his friend's name; as it turned out, the explosion was staged in order to kidnap Data, and he was subsequently rescued (TNG: "The Most Toys"). In 2367, Data sought Worf's help in finding a wedding present for Miles and Keiko O'Brien (TNG: "Data's Day"). Two years later, Data again sought Worf's guidance, this time in researching the "dreams" he was having. Worf, preoccupied with rumors that his father had survived the attack on Khitomer, gave Data some cryptic answers, but Data seemed to understand what he was saying and went on his way. (TNG: "Birthright, Part I") Their friendship was severely tested in 2370 when Data, acting as commanding officer, admonished Worf for challenging his orders in front of the bridge crew. Afterwards, Data apologized to Worf if the dressing-down had ended their friendship, but Worf took the high road, saying that if the friendship was in jeopardy, it was his fault alone. After that exchange, their working and personal relationship quickly returned to normal. (TNG: "Gambit, Part II") Katherine Pulaski When Dr. Pulaski came aboard the Enterprise in 2365, however, she was not very kind toward Data, due to her discomfort with technology. She saw him as no more than a machine, pronouncing his name "DAH-ta" rather than "DAY-ta," and did not understand that he had a preference. (TNG: "The Child") She would also condescend towards Data and often spoke to him through other crewmembers. (TNG: "Where Silence Has Lease") She believed that Data's methodical way of looking at situations meant that he could never solve a traditional Sherlock Holmes mystery, which led to the creation of the program which brought about the sentient Professor Moriarty. (TNG: "Elementary, Dear Data") Later during the year, however, she began to value Data and look upon him as an equal and as a sentient individual. The major turning point was during the crisis surrounding the Darwin Station children. Data stayed to support Pulaski for a long period of time after she had become infected, something for which she was very grateful. (TNG: "Unnatural Selection") Pulaski even challenged master Zakdorn strategist Sirna Kolrami to a game of Strategema, believing that Data could win. When Data was unsuccessful, he interpreted it as a possible weakness and relieved himself of duty. Dr. Pulaski talked to Data and made him realize that one letdown did not necessarily mean total failure, and encouraged him to return to duty, but with no success. Finally Captain Picard told Data that a loss can be had with no mistakes made and convinced him to return to duty. Data later forced Kolrami to a stalemate, much to Kolrami's chagrin. (TNG: "Peak Performance") Romance Data was programmed with several pleasing techniques and was "fully functional". Data had a sexual relationship with Natasha Yar during the influence of polywater intoxication (TNG: "The Naked Now") and attempted a romantic relationship with Jenna D'Sora in late 2367. In 2373, the Borg Queen seduced him in order to convince Data to join the Borg's cause. (Star Trek: First Contact) Natasha Yar Data had a short sexual relationship with Natasha Yar in 2364. Yar was at least slightly attracted to Data and had sex with him while under the influence of polywater intoxication. She later told him that the incident "never happened". (TNG: "The Naked Now") Data still felt a special connection to Tasha. He kept a holographic image of Tasha to remember her. When Data's rights as a sentient being were called into question, his romantic encounter with Tasha was a strong influence for Judge Phillipa Louvois to rule that Data was in fact a sentient lifeform. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man") La Forge and Wesley Crusher found the holoimage when they visited Data's quarters after his apparent death in 2366. (TNG: "The Most Toys") Jenna D'Sora In late-2367, Lieutenant Jenna D'Sora found herself in love with Data. After she expressed her affection for him by kissing him on the lips, Data asked his friends for advice on what to do, and decided to pursue the relationship. Since he had no real emotions or feelings, Data created a special program to guide him through the intricacies of love. However, as his relationship with Jenna progressed, Data discovered that in romance, the logical course is not always the most appropriate. Later that year, they decided to end their relationship. D'Sora explained that her previous boyfriend had been unemotional, and felt that her choice of Data, an android completely incapable of emotion, indicated a pattern. Without a second thought, Data, seeing the validity of her point, agreed to discontinue his program. (TNG: "In Theory") Borg Queen During the Borg attack (in 2063) on the Enterprise-E, which had arrived from the year 2373, Data was abducted by a Borg drone. Unable to be assimilated, the Borg Queen attempted to bribe Data into subservience by offering him live flesh instead of his polymer. Data played along, having sexual relations with the Borg Queen, who wanted him as a partner. Data ultimately betrayed the Borg Queen, killing her with warp engine coolant, which also removed the new flesh she had grafted onto him. (Star Trek: First Contact) Alternate timelines In 2366, the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C)|USS Enterprise-C]] emerged from a temporal rift. Its disappearance from the year 2344 caused an altered timeline, where the Federation was losing a war against the Klingons. Data was still the ship's operations manager. (TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise") ]] Lieutenant Worf encountered a quantum fissure which caused him to begin shifting between quantum realities in 2370. In several universes, Data was still the Enterprise's operations manager, and attended a surprise birthday party for Worf. In at least one of these realities, Data's eyes were blue instead of their characteristic yellow. All the events following Worf's encounter were erased from the timeline once the fissure was sealed. (TNG: "Parallels") In an alternate timeline created by Q, by the year 2395, Data was a professor (the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics) at Cambridge University and lived at Isaac Newton's house with a housekeeper and several cats. His everyday speech had much more nuance and inflection, and he appeared to have finally mastered the use of contractions. He had also dyed part of his hair grey. (TNG: "All Good Things...") Chronology ;ca. 2336: Built by Dr. Noonien Soong and his wife Juliana on Omicron Theta. ;2338: Discovered by the crew of the [[USS Tripoli|USS Tripoli]]. ;2341: Permitted to enter Starfleet Academy. ;2345: Graduates from Starfleet Academy. ;2350s: Serves aboard the [[USS Trieste|USS Trieste]]. ;2363: Assigned as operations manager aboard the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]]. ;2364: Discovered his first brother, Lore, on Omicron Theta. ;2366: Constructs his own daughter, Lal, aboard the Enterprise. ;2372: Reassigned as operations manager aboard the ''Enterprise''-E. ;2379: Discovered his second brother, B-4, on Kolarus III; destroyed in the destruction of the Reman warbird Scimitar. Background information Data was played by actor Brent Spiner in all of the character's television and film appearances. The character of Data appeared in all episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, with the exception of season four's "Family". He also appeared in all four TNG-era Star Trek Movies. Data's character was inspired by a movie created for television by Gene Roddenberry. The movie, which he wrote in the 1970s, was entitled The Questor Tapes and was intended as the pilot for a series which would have detailed the adventures of an android. In the movie, Questor was to have experimented with sexuality, making love to a female character. Network censors did not allow this scene to be used in the film, but a decade later, more relaxed standards allowed an "intimate relationship" to occur between Data and Natasha Yar. The March 1987 TNG Writers/Directors Guide provided a backstory for Data that was jettisoned rather quickly during the series. In that version he had been manufactured by highly advanced (but never seen) aliens who placed into him all the memories of a doomed "Earth-Asian" space colony to preserve their existence. His personality would thus have been influenced by the colonists. The ending for Star Trek Nemesis gave slight suggestion that B-4 may become a replacement for Data, thus possibly becoming Data in the process and mirroring Spock's rebirth and the cryptic suggestions alluding to it at the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. However, Brent Spiner has noted that he has visibly aged out of the role and that it would be implausible for him to continue playing an android whose appearance should not change with time (though the seventh-season episode "Inheritance" established that Data has an aging program that ages his appearance, and "All Good Things..." show an {appearance-aged} Data). Hence, B-4's presence (and suggestion that he has a copy of Data's memories stored) was most likely meant to have been a tease. In 2005, Spiner recorded a brief, voice-only cameo as Data for the finale episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, "These Are the Voyages...": Data was heard speaking to Deanna Troi over a com-link (for which Spiner was not credited). Spiner had previously played Arik Soong, an ancestor of Data's creator, in a fall 2004 story arc on Enterprise. Inconsistencies *In "Encounter at Farpoint", Data said that he graduated in the Starfleet Academy Class of '78. Some fans have used this as evidence for different dating schemes for Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, it is more likely an error, as the exact setting had not been firmly nailed down when the script was written. *In Star Trek: First Contact, Data mentioned he had not had sex for over 8 years, implying he did not have sex with Jenna D'Sora featured in TNG: "In Theory", six years earlier. :This may not be an inconsistency, as it is never actually stated in the episode that Data had sex with Jenna D'Sora. *In (TNG: "All Good Things..."), Captain Picard revisited the events of "Encounter at Farpoint", when Data already held the rank of Lieutenant Commander. However, in the scenes taking place during the earlier episode, Data wore the rank insignia of a Lieutenant junior grade. However, Picard still called him "Commander" when he met Data for the first time. *Data's inability to use contractions in ordinary speech was remarked upon in the TNG episode "Datalore," a rule which he adhered to for the remainder of the series (except for his alternate timeline version in "All Good Things...") and the four TNG films. In the episodes preceding "Datalore," however, he routinely used contractions. Category:Androids Category:Starfleet personnel Category:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) personnel Category:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) personnel Category:Scientists de:Data es:Data fr:Data nl:Data pl:Data